Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The Winds are still howling!

One casualty in the back garden but it couldn't have picked a better spot to fall. If this wind and rain stops tomorrow maybe the axe will be swinging and I can put it back in its place. Wind gusts have been relentless and the combination of that and the ocean's roar has been deafening at times. Oswald lost strength according to the weatherman but conditions have not changed all day so it seems we are to be serenaded again tonight with the wind and rain.

Copper glazes. I am a lover of small pots making and falling in love with them continually so my cupboards house too many for any one person to use but I find it difficult to part with them - that's the hoarder in me. These little gems are not mine but they have lived with me for over 50 years. My Dad loved mining history so as children my brother and I spent many holidays seeking out old mining areas and some new ones as well. These were testing crucibles made at the Battersea Works in England and used at the Chillagoe Copper Mine. In the late 1950's the old mine site was completely abandoned and held little interest to visitors. The main attraction was a tour of the limestone caves by torchlight. These caves are still an attraction and the area is also renowned for its beautiful marble.

As a child scratching around the lab area was such fun where these little gems lay in their hundreds. Taller beaker style ones were there as well with incredible colour variations. A cardboard box soon overflowed and found its way into the trusty FJ Holden along with the camping gear. Dad, too was the hoarding type but his bits and pieces collected in his lifetime provide the family with many cherished memories of an interesting life - maybe my love of little pots began here.......

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MUDHEART POTTERY

About Me

I am Nona (grandmother) to 4 little boys - oh what fun! I love my family and we all share a love of art. Weipa is an isolated mining town in Cape York - a potter's paradise! Local bauxite and kaolin feature heavily in my work and reflect my unique surroundings. I love leaving little marks with my fingers and shells, little secrets for the user to find on closer inspection. I spend hours glazing my pieces adding little touches of colour with my Weipa shino to catch the changing patterns and light I see every day. For me there is pleasure from mixing in handfuls of Weipa clay right through to the firing. It is all a labour of love I never tire of.